Abdel Latif El-Menawy Al Arabiya Talk about the “Brotherhoodization” of the state has gone beyond the borders of Egypt and is now a hot topic in the Western press. One journalist even made fun of this phenomenon and said it has replaced the alleged renaissance project. Leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood have taken advantage of major national problems—disasters in fact—to oust several moderate figures and replace them with others from the group. This happened when Egyptians were killed in Sinai and when there were train accidents and deaths in Port Said. Whoever examines these times will realize that many moderate leading figures in different entities have been replaced with members of the Brotherhood. The new leaders compare Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi with his American counterpart Barack Obama in the sense that the latter appointed 40,000 employees in different positions in the US administration in order to be able to implement his policies. Therefore, Morsi has the right to do the same thing. Others argue that the purpose of this policy is purging state institutions from the remnants of the former regime. This means we should be optimistic, for the prosperity they are bringing to Egypt is not yet complete. Some of those who have found a place for themselves inside the Brotherhood's web-like administration deceive themselves into thinking that they have become part of the new regime, but they are mistaken. The presence of any figures in the upper levels of the state from outside the Brotherhood is temporary, for there are some people they cannot do without at a certain stage or for whom they are unable to find an alternative at the moment. Yet, as soon as this changes, they will immediately dismiss everyone in a leading position who is from outside the group. This is basically related to the intellectual and psychological makeup of the Brotherhood's current leadership which does not trust anyone from outside the group and is extremely keen on monopolizing power. Some reports confirm that the Brotherhood appointed around 15,000 of its members in different positions in state administration. This means we have 25,000 positions left so that Morsi can be equal to Obama. Despite the fact that there have been demands for decentralization by electing governors and changing municipal laws so that a larger number of citizens would be able to play a role in their local communities, the Brotherhood was quick to appoint its members in executive positions in different governorates as soon as it came to power. Deputy governors, who were appointed directly by the president, were given actual administrative powers in their respective governorates. This did not stop with governors and their deputies, for 13 members of the Brotherhood also became advisors to the governors and 12 were appointed mayors in the governorates of Sohag, Minia, Kafr Al-Sheikh, and Fayoum in addition to other local positions in hospital administration, the water, sewage, and electricity sectors, the media, and education, most of which were appointed by the decision of the governors. This is especially clear in the governorate of Kafr Al-Sheikh, which is headed by one of the Brotherhood's leaders. Salafis complained about this phenomenon in the meeting they held with Morsi last week, for they were yesterday's allies who are now getting no privileges. In the meeting, Salafi leaders pointed out that the “Brotherhoodization” process includes creating new positions for advisors in some ministries and governorates. The Salafi delegation expressed its discontent and gave the president a chance to intervene. Meanwhile, Morsi promised to take a firm stance on “Brotherhoodization,” yet I think everyone knows by now that such decisions are not up to him. The Egyptian daily independent Al-Masry Al-Youm recently published an important report about this issue which clarifies the matter for anyone who still questions the truth of this systematic “Brotherhoodization” of the entire country. — Abdel Latif El-Menawy is an author, columnist and multimedia journalist who has covered conflicts around the world. He can be found on Twitter @ALMenawy
